Butterfly Your Hot Dogs For A Better Flavor Experience All Around
If your favorite thing about eating a grilled hot dog is its smoky, slightly crispy outer skin, you may want to try butterflying your dogs the next time you cook them. Butterflying refers to splitting the hot dog down the middle, but still leaving it attached on one side. You can almost picture it as if your hot dog was on a hinge. Butterflying allows for more surface area of the hot dog to touch the grill, and results in more delicious grilled bits.
A butterflied hot dog is perfect for adding an abundance of toppings as well. Whether you're a Chicago dog enthusiast or prefer a chili cheese dog, you'll have a nice crevice to add your toppings to that prevents the hot dog from becoming too messy. You can get even more flavor by including relish, sauces, cheeses, and more.
Get creative. Your butterflied hot dog will still fit into a normal bun as well. Consider this hack an easy way to give your basic, grilled hot dog a flavor upgrade.
Tips for butterflying your dog
When you start cutting your hot dog down the center, go nice and slow. You don't want to risk completely separating the dog into two pieces. Remember, you can always cut more but if you cut all the way, you've lost a perfectly good hot dog. Using a smaller blade can help you from cutting too deep. You can use any hot dog for this technique, just as long as it's sturdy enough to hold up to being sliced and grilled. While butterflied hotdogs don't necessarily have to be grilled, they are a great way to enjoy a grilled hot dog since you get that smoky, charred flavor all over.
When you grill your hot dog, you'll want to be gentle so you don't accidentally break it before serving. Make sure you leave each hot dog on each side long enough to develop those crispy grill marks. When you're ready to flip the dog, you can opt for spatulas or tongs, whichever is easier.